The 16th annual Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference will be held on October 9-11, 2009, in West Lafayette, IN, and will be co-sponsored by Purdue University and Indiana University. This annual conference has been a major venue for interactions and collaboration by bacterial pathogenesis researchers located throughout the Midwest region. We will continue the tradition that at least 50% of research talks are set aside for new investigators. Special efforts will be made to attract women and minorities to participate and speak at the conference. We anticipate attendance in 2009 will be about 200. Sponsorships from various sources have been essential to keep the cost low without compromising the high quality of the meeting. Due to the current tight funding and economic situation, we fear a loss of sponsorship and reduced participation if we raise the registration fees. Hence, we are asking the NIAID to support the 2009 Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference to help us keep this conference accessible to researchers in the region.